In March, a study from the UK Biobank — thought to be the largest of its kind — declared that drinking two or three cups of coffee a day may reduce heart disease and death from other causes.
It’s uplifting news for connoisseurs of the drink, who are well served in the UAE and can now seek their caffeine fix guilt-free.
Here, we look at some of the fanciest cups of Joe in town, based on myriad factors — from beans and brewing to taste and presentation.
Gahwa latte
Where: O Cafe, The Dubai Mall
What: A signature cup at the stylish O Cafe, this decadent Arabic coffee comes with a home-made milk base, and is topped with whipped cream, pistachio powder and saffron.
How much: Dh48
Cold Brew Spritz
Where: Drop Coffee, Yas Bay, Abu Dhabi
What: This spritz blends layered cranberry and lemon juice, sparkling water and an in-house 21-hour-immersed cold-drip coffee, and comes with a touch of fresh mint.
How much: Dh35
Kenya Swara AA
Where: Black Coffee by Cafe Younes, Sheikh Zayed Road, Dubai
What: An 18th-century Belgian invention, the royal siphon works by gravitational energy, vacuum and vapour pressure. With this speciality-grade Kenya Swara AA, it delivers a flavourful, clean and aromatic coffee with notes of apple, lime, milk chocolate, pear and nuts.
How much: Dh64
Magic Mylk Latte
Where: Tania’s Teahouse, Umm Suqeim 2, Dubai
What: This shot of fair trade, female-harvested Rwandan coffee comes with chaga, Nut Mylk, dates and coconut oil, which is known to improve brain function and energy. Powdered chaga mushrooms help with memory, concentration, cellular regeneration and serotonin levels, and fight inflammation.
How much: Dh30
Lavender latte
Where: Harvest & Co, Dubai Garden Centre
What: A drink that smells as delicious as it tastes, this luscious latte contains frothy milk, a syrup made from dried lavender buds and a shot of Encounter Roastery’s signature coffee. It also comes garnished with lavender, which has calming and stress-relieving properties.
How much: Dh24
Authentic Italian espresso
Where: Caffe Vergnano, The Dubai Mall
What: This drink is made from Nicaragua’s famed Maragogype beans, also known as elephant beans, which stand out for their large and long shape. The red cherries are picked one by one, then dried under the sun and packed into jute bags directly at the plantation. The result is a delicate and aromatic blend with subtle acidity.
How much: from Dh16
Panama Geisha
Where: Intellect Coffee, Al Quoz, Dubai
What: This smooth and fruity coffee concentrate is made from hand-picked cherries harvested from Volcan Baru, the tallest mountain in Panama. It's brewed using the finest Arabica beans and has a very distinctive flavour profile: tasting notes include pineapple, lemon peel, grapefruit and cacao nibs.
How much: Dh155
Home brew recipe to try at home
If you’re a fan of Panamanian beans and an at-home brewer, consider picking up the 90+ Panama – Pache (Dh120) from Coffee Planet, so named because the beans are roasted to a quality that scores 90+ on the SCA speciality coffee grading scale. Pache variety hails from the highlands of Panama, and is full-bodied yet well-balanced thanks to notes of dates, raisins, plums, cocoa, tea rose, hazel nuts, strawberry, orange and honey.
COMPANY%20PROFILE
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AndhaDhun
Director: Sriram Raghavan
Producer: Matchbox Pictures, Viacom18
Cast: Ayushmann Khurrana, Tabu, Radhika Apte, Anil Dhawan
Rating: 3.5/5
if you go
The flights
Emirates fly direct from Dubai to Houston, Texas, where United have direct flights to Managua. Alternatively, from October, Iberia will offer connections from Madrid, which can be reached by both Etihad from Abu Dhabi and Emirates from Dubai.
The trip
Geodyssey’s (Geodyssey.co.uk) 15-night Nicaragua Odyssey visits the colonial cities of Leon and Granada, lively country villages, the lake island of Ometepe and a stunning array of landscapes, with wildlife, history, creative crafts and more. From Dh18,500 per person, based on two sharing, including transfers and tours but excluding international flights. For more information, visit visitnicaragua.us.
Barings Bank
Barings, one of Britain’s oldest investment banks, was
founded in 1762 and operated for 233 years before it went bust after a trading
scandal.
Barings Bank collapsed in February 1995 following colossal
losses caused by rogue trader Nick Lesson.
Leeson gambled more than $1 billion in speculative trades,
wiping out the venerable merchant bank’s cash reserves.
From Zero
Artist: Linkin Park
Label: Warner Records
Number of tracks: 11
Rating: 4/5
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Abandon
Sangeeta Bandyopadhyay
Translated by Arunava Sinha
Tilted Axis Press
F1 The Movie
Starring: Brad Pitt, Damson Idris, Kerry Condon, Javier Bardem
Director: Joseph Kosinski
Rating: 4/5
Who has been sanctioned?
Daniella Weiss and Nachala
Described as 'the grandmother of the settler movement', she has encouraged the expansion of settlements for decades. The 79 year old leads radical settler movement Nachala, whose aim is for Israel to annex Gaza and the occupied West Bank, where it helps settlers built outposts.
Harel Libi & Libi Construction and Infrastructure
Libi has been involved in threatening and perpetuating acts of aggression and violence against Palestinians. His firm has provided logistical and financial support for the establishment of illegal outposts.
Zohar Sabah
Runs a settler outpost named Zohar’s Farm and has previously faced charges of violence against Palestinians. He was indicted by Israel’s State Attorney’s Office in September for allegedly participating in a violent attack against Palestinians and activists in the West Bank village of Muarrajat.
Coco’s Farm and Neria’s Farm
These are illegal outposts in the West Bank, which are at the vanguard of the settler movement. According to the UK, they are associated with people who have been involved in enabling, inciting, promoting or providing support for activities that amount to “serious abuse”.
BOSH!'s pantry essentials
Nutritional yeast
This is Firth's pick and an ingredient he says, "gives you an instant cheesy flavour". He advises making your own cream cheese with it or simply using it to whip up a mac and cheese or wholesome lasagne. It's available in organic and specialist grocery stores across the UAE.
Seeds
"We've got a big jar of mixed seeds in our kitchen," Theasby explains. "That's what you use to make a bolognese or pie or salad: just grab a handful of seeds and sprinkle them over the top. It's a really good way to make sure you're getting your omegas."
Umami flavours
"I could say soya sauce, but I'll say all umami-makers and have them in the same batch," says Firth. He suggests having items such as Marmite, balsamic vinegar and other general, dark, umami-tasting products in your cupboard "to make your bolognese a little bit more 'umptious'".
Onions and garlic
"If you've got them, you can cook basically anything from that base," says Theasby. "These ingredients are so prevalent in every world cuisine and if you've got them in your cupboard, then you know you've got the foundation of a really nice meal."
Your grain of choice
Whether rice, quinoa, pasta or buckwheat, Firth advises always having a stock of your favourite grains in the cupboard. "That you, you have an instant meal and all you have to do is just chuck a bit of veg in."
Ten tax points to be aware of in 2026
1. Domestic VAT refund amendments: request your refund within five years
If a business does not apply for the refund on time, they lose their credit.
2. E-invoicing in the UAE
Businesses should continue preparing for the implementation of e-invoicing in the UAE, with 2026 a preparation and transition period ahead of phased mandatory adoption.
3. More tax audits
Tax authorities are increasingly using data already available across multiple filings to identify audit risks.
4. More beneficial VAT and excise tax penalty regime
Tax disputes are expected to become more frequent and more structured, with clearer administrative objection and appeal processes. The UAE has adopted a new penalty regime for VAT and excise disputes, which now mirrors the penalty regime for corporate tax.
5. Greater emphasis on statutory audit
There is a greater need for the accuracy of financial statements. The International Financial Reporting Standards standards need to be strictly adhered to and, as a result, the quality of the audits will need to increase.
6. Further transfer pricing enforcement
Transfer pricing enforcement, which refers to the practice of establishing prices for internal transactions between related entities, is expected to broaden in scope. The UAE will shortly open the possibility to negotiate advance pricing agreements, or essentially rulings for transfer pricing purposes.
7. Limited time periods for audits
Recent amendments also introduce a default five-year limitation period for tax audits and assessments, subject to specific statutory exceptions. While the standard audit and assessment period is five years, this may be extended to up to 15 years in cases involving fraud or tax evasion.
8. Pillar 2 implementation
Many multinational groups will begin to feel the practical effect of the Domestic Minimum Top-Up Tax (DMTT), the UAE's implementation of the OECD’s global minimum tax under Pillar 2. While the rules apply for financial years starting on or after January 1, 2025, it is 2026 that marks the transition to an operational phase.
9. Reduced compliance obligations for imported goods and services
Businesses that apply the reverse-charge mechanism for VAT purposes in the UAE may benefit from reduced compliance obligations.
10. Substance and CbC reporting focus
Tax authorities are expected to continue strengthening the enforcement of economic substance and Country-by-Country (CbC) reporting frameworks. In the UAE, these regimes are increasingly being used as risk-assessment tools, providing tax authorities with a comprehensive view of multinational groups’ global footprints and enabling them to assess whether profits are aligned with real economic activity.
Contributed by Thomas Vanhee and Hend Rashwan, Aurifer
RESULTS
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Best Academy: Ajax and Benfica
Best Agent: Jorge Mendes
Best Club : Liverpool
Best Coach: Jurgen Klopp (Liverpool)
Best Goalkeeper: Alisson Becker
Best Men’s Player: Cristiano Ronaldo
Best Partnership of the Year Award by SportBusiness: Manchester City and SAP
Best Referee: Stephanie Frappart
Best Revelation Player: Joao Felix (Atletico Madrid and Portugal)
Best Sporting Director: Andrea Berta (Atletico Madrid)
Best Women's Player: Lucy Bronze
Best Young Arab Player: Achraf Hakimi
Kooora – Best Arab Club: Al Hilal (Saudi Arabia)
Kooora – Best Arab Player: Abderrazak Hamdallah (Al-Nassr FC, Saudi Arabia)
Player Career Award: Miralem Pjanic and Ryan Giggs
Company%C2%A0profile
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Green ambitions
- Trees: 1,500 to be planted, replacing 300 felled ones, with veteran oaks protected
- Lake: Brown's centrepiece to be cleaned of silt that makes it as shallow as 2.5cm
- Biodiversity: Bat cave to be added and habitats designed for kingfishers and little grebes
- Flood risk: Longer grass, deeper lake, restored ponds and absorbent paths all meant to siphon off water
